David Okrent, 20, Top Student, Mentor

David Okrent had as much heart as he did talent and, during his life, he made sure he used both to help anyone who needed it, friends and family said.

He tutored fellow classmates in mathematics. He helped build a house for an Evanston family. He mentored teenagers in science during summers.

Mr. Okrent, a top Evanston Township High School graduate who was studying math and physics at Harvard University, died Sunday in Revere, Mass., of a stab wound. He was 20.

Friends and family described him as an intellectually curious young man who was committed to his studies but never let that get in the way of his relationships with others.

"He was involved in the lives of so many people," said Daniel Ring, Mr. Okrent's classmate at Harvard and Evanston High. "He was dedicated to having meaningful relationships with people."

Mr. Okrent excelled in math and science, and impressed both peers and teachers with his hard work and ability to understand problems.

"He was incredibly talented," said high school physics teacher Robert Horton. "He could instantaneously grasp the most abstract problems."

Mr. Okrent still found time to dabble in other activities though, including playing the trumpet, watching basketball or spending time with friends.

"Everybody looked up to him," said Rebecca C. Weiss, who attended Evanston High and Harvard with Mr. Okrent. "He was one of the most brilliant people, . . . but that was secondary to his personal qualities."

As a senior in high school, Mr. Okrent earned the school's highest honor for boys, the Oliver Baty Cunningham Award, which was given to the person who best exemplifies leadership qualities.

Mr. Okrent is survived by his father, Lawrence; his mother, Inez; two sisters, Arika and Sarah; and a grandmother, Gizella.